Welcome to 4th week! We have completed about one third of the fall term, so it is a good time to evaluate how things are going to see if you might need to make some changes.
First, do you know how you are doing? It seems like a basic question; but it is a very important question.
Ideally, you should be keeping track of all of the grades you have earned this term. You should create a document somewhere (could be an Excel spreadsheet, could be scribbles on your syllabus) that lists all of the assignments for each class and the percentage of your final grade for each assignment. If you fill in the grades as you earn them, you should have a general idea of how you are doing at any point in the term. If your instructor uses Blackboard to post grades, it is a good idea to check your grades against what the instructor posts. Any errors or questions should be discussed with your instructor in person or via email -- the earlier the better.
Another option you have is the Midterm Progress Report. MSOE does not officially process midterm grades for students. However, you have the option to submit a Midterm Progress Report Form to your instructors during Week 5 and receive individualized feedback in Week 6. You can also visit your faculty during office hours to discuss how you are doing, but experience has led me to believe that if you don’t think you are doing all that well, it is often difficult to start that conversation with your faculty. The Midterm Progress Report is a good first step. The form is available at http://www.msoe.edu/docs/DOC-2040 or in hard copy in the Registrar’s office.
After you have gathered the information about how you are doing, it is time to evaluate whether you are meeting your academic goals. Are you struggling with the content in a specific classes? Are you struggling with priority management, study skills, other non-academic issues? Now is the time to get help!
If you are struggling with specific classes, you have a couple options:
- Have you visited your instructor during office hours? It is best to come with specific questions. Try to work through a problem or two and show the instructor where you are getting stuck. Read through the text and write down specific things that don’t make sense to you. Bring in the notes you took in class and show the instructor where you got lost. The instructor’s office hours are usually in the syllabus or posted on their office door.
- Have you visited the Raider Center for Academic Success (RCAS)? They have individual tutoring and some group tutoring. They also have a drop in center where there are people available to help with math, chemistry, physics and writing. Visit them on the second floor of the German English Academy to find out more about the options available to you.
- Have you tried to study with someone else in your class? For some people it really helps to talk through the material and to work through some problems as a group. The danger with group studying is that sometimes you think you have a better understanding of the material than you actually do. If you work through problems as a group, make sure you can also do them as an individual. J
If you seem to be struggling even a little bit with issues that are not necessarily class specific, you also have some options:
- Many of our students see someone in Counseling Services. They have helped many students with a wide variety of academic and non-academic concernsthat are getting the way of their academic success. Don’t let the word ‘counseling’ scare you. J
- Do you have a diagnosed disability? If you received some sort of accommodation in high school and are not getting assistance here, we encourage you to at least touch base with our(second floor of German English Academy) so that you can see what services are available to assist you.
- We have staff in our Raider Center who are part of our Academic Transitions team who meet with students individually to help with skills such as study strategies and time management. So, if you don’t seem to be struggling with the course content, but you still seem to be struggling, you may wish to touch base with them to see if they have some new study strategies you can try.
- If you are not a native English speaker, the Academic Transition staff in our Raider Center can also help with vocabulary, and if applicable, assist with navigating how the American educational system may be different from the system you have back home.
- If you think you need some help, but aren’t sure where to start, email the Raider Center at success@msoe.edu. One of the RCAS staff will follow up with you.
The time to get help is when you first start to struggle. You have read all the way to the bottom of this blog; is there a little voice in your head saying “Yeah, I should probably talk to someone”? If so, I encourage you to act today.
If you have any questions or need help getting connected to any of these resources, please feel free to contact the Registrar's office.